Review – A Lesson In Murder by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

Here I am again, getting to wax lyrical about another great book sent to me by Brook Cottage Books for a review! Honestly, I count myself very lucky!

About the Book

Nothing ever happens in the small Cotswold village of Cherringham, making it the perfect place to retire to – or so ex-NYPD Detective Jack Brennan thought. But before long, local web designer and single mother Sarah Edwards had convinced him to help her investigate a suspicious suicide. Since then, he and Sarah have solved mysterious deaths, unlikely accidents and perplexing robberies. “Peace and quiet” never really suited Jack anyway… Cherringham is an ongoing “cosy crime” eBook series, that launched in December 2013 and features unlikely sleuthing duo Sarah and Jack. Released in monthly episode, it is written by award-winning game and TV writers UK-based Neil Richards and US-based Matthew Costello in a transatlantic collaboration – which mirrors that of Jack and Sarah. The new series, released from March, launches with A Lesson in Murder, in which the two are asked to investigate the violent death of a popular teacher at Cherringham Girls School.

About the Authors

Co-authors Neil Richards and Matthew Costello are known for their script work on major computer games. The Cherringham crime series is their first fictional transatlantic collaboration. Matthew has written and designed dozens of bestselling games including the critically acclaimed The 7th Guest, Doom 3, Rage and Pirates of the Caribbean. He is also the author of a number of successful novels, including Vacation (2011) and Beneath Still Waters (1989), which was made into a movie. Neil has worked as a producer and writer in TV and film, creating scripts for BBC, Disney, and Channel 4, and earning numerous Bafta nominations along the way. He’s also written script and story for over 20 video games including The Da Vinci Code and Starship Titanic, co-written with Douglas Adams, and consults around the world on digital storytelling.

My Review

I love being able to switch genres and the fabulous JB is great at giving me the opportunity. With A Lesson In Murder, I got to flex my mind into a crime thriller and as a reader who cut her teeth on the Scarpetta Books, it was an opportunity I jumped at. A Lesson in Murder is a brilliant thriller, quite a quick read too. Jack and Sarah are detectives that keep it real, this book doesn’t give you the over the top stunts and twisty psychology that so many thrillers over egg these days, It guides you through a crime at the decadent Cherringham Girls School, with pompous secretaries, over privileged teenage girls and a twisty and imaginative storyline. I loved the working relationship between Jack and Sarah, they kind of made me think of Dempsey and Makepeace and I was guessing whodunit along with them! I can’t say much more without giving it away, but if you love a god crime book, then this is the one for you! I definitely look forward to more!